Cup (US) (cup) - Unit Information & Conversion

Symbol:cup
Plural:US cups
Category:Volume

What is a Cup (US)?

Definition

The US customary cup is a unit of volume used in the United States for cooking and serving sizes. It is defined as exactly 8 US customary fluid ounces. This equates to approximately 236.59 milliliters (mL).

History

The concept of a 'cup' as a measurement unit evolved informally over centuries. The US customary cup was standardized based on the US gallon, which itself derived from the older English wine gallon. Unlike the metric cup (250 mL) or the imperial cup (approx. 284 mL), the US cup was legally defined in terms of the gallon (1 US gallon = 16 US cups).

Common Uses

  • Cooking & Baking: The primary use is measuring liquid and dry ingredients in recipes within the United States.
  • Serving Sizes: Often used to indicate serving sizes on nutritional labels in the US.
  • Informal Measurement: Used informally for estimating liquid quantities.

Unit FAQs

How many fluid ounces are in a US cup?

There are exactly 8 US customary fluid ounces (fl oz) in 1 US cup.

How many milliliters are in a US cup?

One US cup is equivalent to approximately 236.59 milliliters (mL).

Is a US cup the same as a metric cup or an imperial cup?

No. A US cup (~236.59 mL) is smaller than both a metric cup (250 mL) used in many Commonwealth countries and an imperial cup (~284.13 mL) which is less commonly used today but part of the UK imperial system.

Cup (US) Conversion Formulas

To Liter:

1 cup = 0.236588 L
Example: 5 US cups = 1.182941 liters

To Milliliter:

1 cup = 236.588236 mL
Example: 5 US cups = 1182.941182 milliliters

To Cubic meter:

1 cup = 0.000237 m³
Example: 5 US cups = 0.001183 cubic meters

To Gallon (US):

1 cup = 0.0625 gal
Example: 5 US cups = 0.3125 US gallons

To Gallon (UK):

1 cup = 0.052042 gal
Example: 5 US cups = 0.260211 UK gallons

To Quart:

1 cup = 0.25 qt
Example: 5 US cups = 1.25 quarts

To Cup:

1 cup = 1 cup
Example: 5 US cups = 5 cups

To Fluid ounce:

1 cup = 8 fl oz
Example: 5 US cups = 40 fluid ounces

To Pint (US):

1 cup = 0.5 pt
Example: 5 US cups = 2.5 US pints

Convert Cup (US)

Need to convert Cup (US) to other volume units? Use our conversion tool.